She was always going to get slated for being a ringer (but at least she delievers many dances up to ringer standards. However problem is, she moans louder about how hard it is, cause she thinks it will change peoples perception of her. It don't.

I think if Denise had just held her hands up at the start of the series and said 'yes I've danced a bit in the west end but I'm a fan of the show and I want to learn how to dance ballroom and latin properly' then people would've been much quicker to warm to her. Her defensive stance hasn't helped her.
I'm not really a fan of what either of them had to say in the Sun article either but then again I don't trust the Sun. If it was said its a bit cheap trying to take the others down. Kimberley has never hidden her stage school background but had the humility to say that she probably wouldn't be as good a dancer as people expected given her background.

Dance-wise: I haven't connected to her dancing yet. I can't deny she is technically a very good dancer, and should Dani not win I will be hoping Denise does. But when a dancer is a good as her (and Dani) I have to feel something when watching them. I didn't feel it with Dani till her tango. But I still haven't felt it with Denise.

Personality-wise: She's such a bloody TV personality. She comes off as very rehearsed, and the fact that she's partnered with James (who ever since the Georgina year has been as rehearsed as they come to hide his inner dictator) doesn't do her any favours at all.

I just don't find her personality attractive at all. She has no warmth about her, I find her very one dimensional.

Both Denise and James are forward and full-on in front of the camera. That could be the line to take with impresarios mounting a show, besieged by endless hopeful actresses wanting the job.

When Denise presents herself to viewers, a closer analogy would be that between a human and a cat. It does not work to force your attentions on a cat. It would turn away or scratch you. Far better to make yourself interesting then wait for the cat to come to you, if he does. A woman can sit pretty in a man's line of sight, and he will come running in his own time. If she tries to lassoo him (viewer) before he is ready, he will likely run away. All animals are not the same:

"Dogs look up to man.
Cats look down on him.
Pigs treat us as equal."

Yes I read that. I thought it was uncalled for the way they commented on the experience the others had. Alot of stars have been to stage school so I dont have a problem with that. The problem I have is that she has been on stage in the West End. They even commented on Louis having an advantage doing acrobatics. It was as if they had to find something to comment on each of their rivals to justify her being there.

Sorry but I dont like either of them. Would be happy for any of the others to win.

Brilliant, and I can see exactly what you're getting at.

I think you've nailed it. It was her whole 'I just sat there for two hours in Chicago' that really got up my nose.

She doesn't seem that bad.

I don't dislike her, but given her experience, she should never have been selected.

But then it's more a "show" than a competition.,

I don't mind her..... dancing.

Never liked her since the Big Breakfast
she always had a tedency to blackdog other guests and presenters

she does it now, her injuries, training, dances, misshaps are always worse, harder, faster, bigger than other celebs

BIB What does this mean?

I'm too young to remember Denise very well from The Big Breakfast so I can only judge her on how she comes across on Strictly. I don't mind her. She is a bit over performative in interviews but she can be funny and I feel like she has humanised James a bit. I don't really care about her musical theatre background and I think she's the most consistently good dancer on the show but don't feel a lot of warmth from her performances (except her Jive). Maybe it's because she's too caught up in portraying a character and doesn't let enough of her own personality come across.


Ha, I never thought I'd hear someone sympathising with James because his celebrity partner was putting him down. I think the only way for James' partners to handle him is by rolling their eyes at him and giving back as good as they get. When he had a softer personality like Alex Jones as a partner I always thought she was starting to get a bit worn down by his constant shouting and the "hilarious" nicknames he kept coming up with for her. Then again, maybe I'm just projecting my own dislike for James.

That's the point for me too. Instead of just saying 'yes I've danced a bit in the past, but nothing like ballroom' and getting on with it, we've had nothing but 'poor me it's not my fault, the others are just as bad' over and over.

It's poor me all the time which is wearing in the end. I started out quite liking Denise, but the shine wore off, I find her staged and at times she sounds badly scripted.

Put them down, make negative comments avout them.

I don't warm to Denise but love Kimberley, who is more beautiful than Denise. Your theory seems a little flawed.

^^^
This!

I like her. She's a good dancer and I don't find her friendship with James forced at all. Good luck to her, she's the best dancer by miles.

^^^ this. Loud, lairy and rough. Not a pleasant person at all. Don't care if she can dance or not, I just don't like her.

I liked Denise alot before strictly this year and didn't really care about her past experience with dance, because alot of other contestants gone before have also had previous experience, as long as they are not professional dancers it really doesn't bother me.

Now though...I find myself disliking her. Partially perhaps because I don't warm to James Jordan, but mainly because of her constant, "im really struggling this week comments", girl who cried wolf.

I feel the same now, too.

Me too.

I really liked her on the Big Breakfast; didn't know about her stage experience, and when I did I was prepared to overlook it because I like to see good dancing.

Now I've had enough of her whingeing about whiplash, nerves and waving the hem of her skirt around just in case we hadn't noticed the rip.

She doesn't actually have a starting advantage over the other remaining contestants. Someone who hadn't properly looked at anyone else just claimed she does, Chris Evans picks it up and the story develops wings. Because shes been wrongly labelled, she's become defensive - which helps anyone looking for a reason not to like her. Pointing out that others have experience too and that Louis has massive advantages and expolits his gumnastics to substitute for dancing, just makes her look too competitive. As a consequence , because she reads the papers, or has been told soemthing, she thinks she's got a vote problem which feeds back into how she and James act to counter it. She's also the front runner - so anyone who can find a reason for anyone else has a reason to find fault with her - particularly if her main competition for weeks is an attractive, if deadly dull, male with no dance experience

The too experienced ringer idea just refuses to die - people just ignore evidence that contradicts it, and don't research. All of the girls left have the same level of training or more. Multiple past winners and top SCD performers had the same or more training in dance - two winners had far more training. One winner and a finalist even went to the same stage school as Denise did. All the females left have stage experience involving dance. Denise's last major dance role was 10 years ago, and Paulette, her last role in Legally Blonde, doesn't do much dancing. Kimberley performed as Princess Fiona in Shrek earlier this year - Fiona has her own dance number in the show which is a bit bigger. One of the girls left has her skill at ballet and dance featured on her industry CV. All of them, including Lisa, are younger than Denise. Louis has massive advantages in fitness, flexibility, ability to train , remember choregraphy - and he can get a massive audience response from throwing in gymastics moves he's been able to do since primary school age

Denise does have real issues. Dani I think is a better actress and. Vincent is doing a better job developing choregraphy with more emotional content. Denise hasn't been given much thats moving by James, or the musical director, and Kimberley may have the same issue. She's also had less of an obvious journey story and doesn't make a success of looking vulnerable when she actually is.

Yeah this is what i mean. Every performance of hers is of a professional quality, like the jive, which was really clean and so professional. The turns, everything. So im curious as to why she was put in the show